Drying and cooling apparatus for booklets having adhesively connected backs



Nov. 21, 1967 H. MULLER 3,353,279

DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS FOR BOOKLETS HAVING ADHESIVELY CONNECTED BACKS Filed Nov. 16, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 21, ,1967 H. MULLER 3,353,279

DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS FOR BOOKLETS HAVING ADHESIVELY CONNECTED BACKS Filed Nov. 16, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,353,279 DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS FOR BOOKLETS HAVING ADHESIVELY CON- NECTED BACKS Hans Miiller, Weissensteinstrasse, Zofingen, Switzerland Filed Nov. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 508,011 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 4, 1964, 15,7 6 1/ 64 10 Claims. (Cl. 34-150) The present invention relates to a drying and cooling apparatus for booklets having adhesively connected backs. The adhesively connected backs of booklets have to be dried before the booklets are finished for instance by applying a cover thereto.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for an apparatus in which the necessary drying operation of the adhesively connected backs of booklets can be performed in an expedient manner.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the aforementioned kind in which the adhesively connected backs thereof can be dried in a continuous manner while the booklets are transported through the apparatus and discharged therefrom with the adhesively connected backs perfectly dried.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the aforementioned kind which is constructed of relatively few and simple parts so that the apparatus can be manufactured at reasonable cost and will stand up perfectly under extended use.

With these objects in view, the apparatus of the present invention for drying and cooling of booklets having adhesively connected backs mainly comprises a support,

endless conveyor means mounted on the support and having an upper substantially horizontal run movable in one direction and a lower substantially horizontal run movable in a direction opposite to said one direction, a plurality of substantially rigid elongated support means carried by said conveyor means adjacent each other and each connected at an inner end thereof to the conveyor means and projecting from the connected end outwardly and rearwardly inclined to the direction of movement of the respective run, a pair, of abutment means respectively connected to opposite ends of each of the elongated support means and respectively projecting therefrom in opposite directions and transverse to said elongated support means with the free end of the abutment means on the inner end of the elongated support means leading in direction of movement and the free end of the other abutment means trailing in direction of movement, and a plurality of additional substantially rigid elongated means respectively tiltably connected at one of the ends thereof to said other ends of said elongated support means and constructed and arranged so that each of the additional elongated support means will during movement of elongated support means along the upper run he tilted away from the trailing face of the respective elongated support means to which it is connected toward the leading face of the following elongated support means, while during movement of the elongated support means along the lower run, each of the additional elongated support members will abut along the whole length thereof against the trailing face of the respective elongated support means to which it is tiltably connected. In this way a booklet placed on the leading face of one elongated support means, as the latter extends in substantially horizontal direction on its way from the lower to the upper run,

3,353,279 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 with the back of the booklet facing said one abutment means will be held on the leading face of the respective elongated support means with the back of the booklet abutting against said one abutment means during the passage of the respective elongated support means along the upper run, While the booklet will flap over to rest on the trailing face of the additional elongated means tiltably connected to the elongated support means preceding in direction of movement the elongated support means on which the booklet was originally placed and abut with the end thereof opposite its back on the other abutment means of said preceding elongated support means so that the booklet may be removed from the respective elongated support means and the elongated means tiltably mounted thereon as the latter move from the end of the lower run toward the upper run.

The apparatus preferably includes also heating means in the space between the upper and lower run and preferably arranged at the portion of the endless conveyor means at which the elongated support means carried thereby pass from the lower to the upper run.

In this way the wet and adhesively connected back of the booklet will be first pressed against a heated surface and subsequently thereto transported in such a manner that the dried back is out of contact with the heated surface to be properly cooled before it leaves the apparatus.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view thereof, drawn to a a slightly smaller scale than FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of thte present invention seen from the end where the booklets are fed into and discharged from the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the apparatus of the present invention mainly comprises an endless-conveyor meansZ, only schematic-ally indicated in FIG. 1 by the oval dash-dotted outline, and which may for instance be formed by two endless link chains arranged parallel and transversely spaced from each other and each movable over a pair of sprocket wheels, not indicated in the drawings, and mounted on parallel spaced axes on the sup ort frame 1. The endless conveyor means 2 have an upper substantially horizontally arranged run movable in the direction of the arrow B and a lower substantially horizontal run movable in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow D. Any conVentiOnal means, not shown, are used for moving the endless conveyor means 2. A plurality of adjacent support links 30, of a configuration as clearly shown in.

port means 3 respectively projecting therefrom in opposite directions and transverse to the elongation thereof with the free end of the abutment means 31 leading in direction of movement and the free end of the abutment means 32 trailing in direction of movement. Each of the elongated support means 3 and the abutment means 31 and 32 connected thereto are preferably integrally formed from a substantially Z-shaped plate having an elongated plate portion forming the elongated support means 3 and a pair of short leg portions 31 and 32 projecting from opposite edges of the elongated plate portionto opposite sides of the latter and forming the pair of abutment means. The elongated plate portion forming the elongated abutment means has preferably a portion of greater width 3b at the inner end thereof adjacent the endless conveyor means 2 and a portion of smaller width 3a at the outer end thereof and symmetrically arranged with respect to the portion of greater width 3b. Each of the inner abutment means 31 has preferably a width substantially equal to that of the portion 3b, whereas the outer abutment means 32 has a width substantially equal to that of the portion 3a. The abutment means 31 are preferably fixedly connected to the respective support links 30 by being welded, riveted, or connected by screws there- IO.

The apparatus includes further a plurality of additional elongated means preferably constituted by plates 4' having a width substantially equal to the width of the portion 3a of the elongated support means 3 respectively tiltably connected to the outer ends of the Z-shaped plates 3. For this purpose each of the plates 4 extends with a portion 42 of smaller width than that of the plate 4 through a corresponding slot formed in the outer leg portion 32 of each Z-shaped plate and the portion 42 extending through the slot is bent in transverse direction to the remainder of the plate 4 so as to abut against the outer surface of the respective leg portion 32, whereby each of the plates 4 is tiltably connected to the outer end of one respective Z-shaped plate. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, each of the plates 4 has such a length and the support links 30 are constructed and arranged with respect to the inner end edge of the plates 4 in such a manner that the inner end edge of a plate 4 tiltably connected to one plate 3 is prevented from tilting against the leading face of the plate 3 following the one plate 3 during passage of the plates from the lower to the upper run as well as during passage of the plates from the upper to the lower run of the endless conveyor means 2, while when the plates travel along the upper run, the plates 4 may freely tilt into engagement with the leading face of the following plate 3.

The surfaces of the support links 30 to which the leg portions 31 of the Z-shaped plates are connected are forwardly and upwardly inclined at an acute angle with respect to the upper run of the endless conveyor means 2 so that the plate portions 3 of the Z-shaped plates are rearwardly and upwardly inclined at an acute angle with regard to the upper run of the endless conveyor means 2 and correspondingly inclined with regard to the lower run thereof.

Heating means 5 as schematically indicated by the rectangle shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 1 are provided in the space between the lower and the upper run of the endless conveyor means and preferably in the region of the space in which the endless conveyor means 2 passes from the "lower to the upper run. The heating means 5, only schematically indicated in FIG. 1, may be constructed in any well known manner and the specific construction of the heating means does not form part of the present invention. The heating means 5 may be constituted for instance by a plurality of steam heated coils or by electric heating means of any well known construction. The heating means 5 are arranged with regard to the elements surrounding the same in such a manner that the heat produced thereby will be transmitted 4 by radiation to the carrying links 30 surrounding the same so that the latter and the Z-shaped plates 3 connected thereto will be heated.

The apparatus preferably includes also feeding means 6 for feeding a lurality of booklets 7 having adhesively connected backs 70 one by one in the direction indicated by the arrow A onto the leading surfaces of the plates 3 as the latter pass from the lower run of the endless conveyor means 2 to the upper run thereof. These feeding means may for instance include a pair of endless belts spaced in direction transverse to each other a distance slightly greater than the width of the plate portions 3a and the pulleys over which the belts are guided are spaced from the left end, as viewed in FIG. 1, of the endless conveyor means 2 in such a manner so as not to interfere with the free movement of the wide portions 3b of the plates 3 as the latte pass from the lower to the upper run of the endless conveyor means 2.

The apparatus may include also means for removing the booklets 7 from the respective plates 3 and 4 after the same have been passed through the apparatus and have been properly dried and cooled therein and these means for removing the booklets from the apparatus may include a pair of cams 8 having cam portions projecting therefrom and a belt 3 arranged between the cams and movable in the direction of the arrow B as indicated in FIG. 1.

The above described apparatus will operate as follows:

A plurality of booklets 7 are fed one by one, with the adhesively connected backs 70 thereof leading by means of the belt conveyor 6 onto the leading faces of plates 3, as each of the plates 3 extends in substantially horizontal direction during its passage from the lower run of the endless conveyor means 2 to the upper run thereof. As the respective plate 3 moves from its substantially horizontal position to an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position, the booklet 7 will slide downwardly so that the back 70 thereof will abut against the lower abutment means 31 and during the passage of the respective plate '3 along the upper run of the endless co-nveyor means 2, the booklet 7 on the leading face of one plate will be pressed against this face by the lower portion of a plate 4 tiltably connected to the plate 3 preceding the plate on which the booklet rests. The abutment portions 31 will be properly heated by the heating means 5 and heated air produced by the heating means 5 will also pass between the support links 30 and the plates 3 so that the adhesive means on the back 70 of the booklet will be properly dried and hardened.

As the plates 3 pass at the right end C, as viewed in FIG. 1, of the endless conveyor means 2 from the upper to the lower run thereof each booklet 7 will flap over from the leading face of the respective plate 3 onto the trailing face of the plate 4 preceding in direction of movement the plate 3 on which the booklet 7 was originally resting. The inner edge of the preceding plate 4 abuts thereby as clearly shown in FIG. 1 against the inner abutment means 31 of the trailing plate 3. During further movement in which the plate 4 on which the booklet 7 now rests assumes a downwardly inclined position, the booklet 7 will slide on the trailing face of this plate in downward direction so that the back 70 will be dis engaged from the respective inner abutment means 31 and abut with the opposite end thereof against the outer abutment means 32 to which the respective plate 4 is hingedly connected. The back 70 of each booklet which has been properly dried during passage of the booklet along the upper run of the endless conveyor will thereby become disconnected from the heated abutment means 31 and can properly cool as the booklet passes along the lower run of the endless conveyor means 2. During the passage of the plates 3 and 4 along the lower run of the conveyor means, the leading face of each plate 4 will abut against the trailing face of each plate 3 to which it is hingedly connected.

As can be clearlyseen from FIG. 3 each booklet 7 has a height and width so as to extend with opposite portions thereof respectively to opposite sides of the plate portions 3a as well as to opposite sides of the plates 4. When the plates 3 and 4 and the booklet resting on the trailing faces of the plates 4 reach the left end, as viewed in FIG. 1, of the lower run, the portions of the booklets 7 extending to opposite sides of the plates 4 are engaged by cam portions 80 of two cams 8 (only the front cam 8 is shown in FIG. 1). The cams 8 are rotated by means not shown in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the booklets 7 so that the front edge of each booklet is removed from the respective abutment means 32 and so that the booklet during further movement of the respective plate 4 will drop with its back 70 leading onto a conveyor belt 9 moving in direction of arrow B between the cams 8 to be transported thereby to a station in which the booklets are finished. The movement of the feeding means 6 and that of the cam 8 is synchronized with the movement of the endless conveyor means 2 to assure that during operation of the apparatus each plate 3 is loaded with a booklet and to assure that each booklet as it reaches the end of the lower run is engaged by a projection 80 of the cam. For this purpose the drive pulleys of the belts 6, the sprocket gears for the chain conveyor 2, the cam 8, and the necessary drive pulleys for the belt 9 may be connected by appropriate transmission means to a common drive motor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus may also include a pair of adjustable guide members L extending inclined to the direction of movement of the upper run of the endless conveyor means 2 respectively to opposite sides of the outer portions 3a of each Z-shaped plate. The guide members L are adjustable toward and away from each other as indicated by the double headed arrows shown in FIG. 2 so as to engage the booklets 7 along side edges thereof and to centralize the booklets with respect to acentral plane of symmetry of the apparatus.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of drying and cooling apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a drying and cooling apparatus for booklets having adhesively connected backs, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A drying and cooling apparatus for booklets or the like having adhesively connected backs comprising, in combination, a support; endless conveyor means mounted on said support and having an upper substantially horizontal run movable in one direction and a lower substantially run movable in the direction opposite to said one direction; a plurality of substantially rigid elongated support means carried by said conveyor means adjacent each other, each of said elongated support means connected at an inner end thereof to said conveyor means and projecting from said connected end outwardly and rearwardly inclined to the direction of movement of the respective run; a pair of abutment means respectively connected to opposite ends of each of said elongated support means respectively projecting in opposite directions and transverse to the elongation of the elongated support means therefrom with the free end of the abutment means on said inner end of the elongated support means leading in direction of movement and the free end of the other abutment means trailing in direction of movement thereof; and a plurality of additional substantially rigid elongated means each shorter than and respectively tiltably connected at one of the ends thereof to the outer end of one of said elongated support means, said addi-' tional elongated means being constructed and arranged so that each of said additional elongated means will during movement of the respective elongated support means along the upper run be tilted away from the trailing face of the elongated support means to which it is connected toward the leading face of the following elongated support means, and each of said additional elongated means will abut along the whole length thereof against the trailing face of the elongated support means to which it is connected when the latter moves along the lower run, whereby a booklet placed with its back leading on the leading face of one elongated support means as the latter extends in substantially horizontal direction on its way from the lower to the upper run, will be held on said leading face with its back abutting against said one abutment means during the passage of the respective elongated support means along said upper run, while said booklet will flap over to rest on the trailing face of the additional elongated means tiltably connected to the preceding elongated support means and abut with the end thereof opposite its back on the other abutment means of said preceding elongated support means during transport of the booklet along the lower run.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and including heating means in the space between said upper and lower runs of said endless conveyor means.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said heating means are arranged at that portion of said endless conveyor means at which each of said elongated support means carried by said endless conveyor means passes from said lower to said upper run.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said elongated support means and the pair of abutment means connected thereto are formed by an integral substantially Z-shaped plate having an elongated plate portion forming said elongated support means and a pair of short leg portions projecting from opposite end edges of said elongated plate portion to opposite sides of the latter and forming said pair of abutment means.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said elongated plate portions forming said elongated support means has a portion of greater width adjacent said endless conveyor means and a portion of smaller width at the outer end thereof.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein each of said additional elongated means is in form of a plate having a width substantially equal to said portion of said smaller width of said elongated plate portion.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said endless conveyor means includes a plurality of adjacent support links to which the short leg portions of said Z- shaped plates which are closer to said conveyor means are respectively connected.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, and including feeding means for feeding a plurality of booklets one by one between successive Z-shaped plates as the latter extend in a substantially horizontal direction during the passag thereof from said lower to said upper run of said endless conveyor means.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said feeding means include a pair of endless belts spaced from each other a distance slightly greater than the width of said plate portion of smaller widths.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, and including means for facilitating removing of said booklets from the 7 V i 8 respective plates and including at least one rotatable cam' References Cited disc arranged below that Z-shaped plate which is located UNITED STATES PATENTS at any instance in substantially vertical position at the leading end of said lower run, said cam disc having projecting portions arranged laterally of one side edge of the 5 portion of small width of said plate and adapted to project upwardly beyond the lower edge of said plate dur ing rotation of said cam disc. I H. B. RAMEY, Assistant Examiner.

1,760,030 5/1930 Alger 198-134 X 1,834,567 12/1931 Winkler.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A DRYING AND COOLING APPARATUS FOR BOOKLETS OR THE LIKE HAVING ADHESIVELY CONNECTED BACKS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORT; ENDLESS CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING AN UPPER SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL RUN MOVABLE IN ONE DIRECTION AND A LOWER SUBSTANTIALLY RUN MOVABLE IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE DIRECTION; A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS ADJACENT EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS CONNECTED AT AN INNER END THEREOF TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND PROJECTING FROM SAID CONNECTED END OUTWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INCLINED TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE RUN; A PAIR OF ABUTMENT MEANS RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS RESPECTIVELY PROJECTING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND TRANSVERSE TO THE ELONGATION OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS THEREFROM WITH THE FREE END OF THE ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID INNER END OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS LEADING A DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT AND THE FREE END OF THE OTHER ABUTMENT MEANS TRAILING IN DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THEREOF; AND A PLURALITY OF ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID ELONGATED MEANS EACH SHORTER THAN AND RESPECTIVELY TILTABLY CONNECTED AT ONE OF THE ENDS THEREOF TO THE OUTER END OF ONE OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS, SAID ADDITIONAL ELONGATED MEANS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED SO THAT EACH OF SAID ADDITIONAL ELONGATED MEANS WILL DURING MOVEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS ALONG THE UPPER RUN BE TILTED AWAY FROM THE TRAILING FACE OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS TO WHICH IT IS CONNECTED TOWARD THE LEADING FACE OF THE FOLLOWING ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS, AND EACH OF SAID ADDITIONAL ELONGATED MEANS WILL ABUT ALONG THE WHOLE LENGTH THEREOF AGAINST THE TRAILING FACE OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS TO WHICH IT IS CONNECTED WHEN THE LATTER MOVES ALONG THE LOWER RUN, WHEREBY A BOOKLET PLACED WITH ITS BACK LEADING ON THE LEADING FACE OF ONE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS AS THE LATTER EXTENDS IN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION ON ITS WAY FROM THE LOWER TO THE UPPER RUN, WILL BE HELD ON SAID LEADING FACE WITH ITS BACK ABUTTING AGAINST SAID ONE ABUTMENT MEANS DURING THE PASSAGE OF THE RESPECTIVE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS ALONG SAID UPPER RUN, WHILE SAID BOOKLET WILL FLAP OVER TO REST ON THE TRAILING FACE OF THE ADDITIONAL ELONGATED MEANS TILTABLY CONNECTED TO THE PRECEDING ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS AND ABUT WITH THE END THEREOF OPPOSITE ITS BACK ON THE OTHER ABUTMENT MEANS OF SAID PRECEDING ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS DURING TRANSPORT OF THE BOOKLET ALONG THE LOWER RUN. 